CHAPTER 1: REMINISCING

As the car drove along the countryside, the rosette sat in her seat, her eyes looking out towards the greenery, deep in thought.

"Hey, honey. Light? Claire?".

The silver haired man's voice had pulled her out of her thoughts. She looked towards the man in the driver's seat, furrowing her eyebrows into a confused expression. "Hmm?" she hummed as she leaned her head against the car window.

"Huh, so that got you to look at me" the silver haired man said as he gave a sly smirk.

"Hmph, I'm just not used to you calling me by that name yet" she shrugged with a slight frown to her face.

In this new world her name was Claire. The Lightning of the Crystal Age was long gone, replaced with her true identity. Yet for some reason the silver-haired man sitting beside her still insisted on calling her Light.

"You've been staring into space for a long time now without saying a single word, Light. Is something bothering you?" the silverine asked with a hint of concern to his voice.

Light looked back at the man, a small smile forming on her lips. Deep inside she thought it was sweet that he was always so concerned about her.

"Nothing's wrong. Really, Hope. You've got nothing to worry about,".

Hope however was still not convinced, furrowing his eyebrows into a look of suspicion. "You looked like you had something on your mind though".

"I was just thinking,".

"About what?,".

It seemed that Hope's usual inquisitive behaviour was beginning to kick in. A sigh escaped from her lips. She began to lie deeper into her seat as her eyes slowly closed.

"About all the things that have happened. We've been through a lot, Hope. I was just thinking back and wondering how we managed to even get this far".

A smile crept onto Hope's face, probably from the deep satisfaction of knowing how his life had turned out thus far.

"Yeah, it has been quite a journey, hasn't it Light?" he replied with a smile.

Their lives had changed ever since they came into the new world. The memory of that summer afternoon replayed inside her mind. Her journey in this new world all began once she took her first step out of that train and into the countryside. She could still remember every little detail of that moment.

The gentle breeze of the wind blowing her coat, the creek of the train. But most of all, she remembered seeing him for the first time. Just across the road stood a tall man adorning a vest and tie, with the same silver hair as the boy she had sworn to protect years ago.

His lips curved into a smile, one she hadn't seen since he was just a teenager, as his silver hair swayed in the gentle breeze. They both stood there on the opposite ends of that road, taking in the sight of each other. They had fought for centuries, and this was the moment that they had yearned for so long.

Someone had taken that first step, and before they knew it they both had fallen into each other's arms. He couldn't believe it. She was finally here, right in his arms. No more phantoms, no more dreams. This was all real.

"Light…,".

It was the only word that he could muster, still in awe of seeing the woman he loved the most for centuries right in front of him. He embraced her tightly, never wanting their intimate moment to end. The sweet smell of roses penetrated his nostrils, bringing him a sense of joy and relief.

Lightning ran her fingers through Hope's soft silver hair, causing Hope to blush as his lips pursed into a satisfied smile. A few seconds of peaceful silence went on, both of them embracing the other tightly, never wanting to let the other go.

"You've grown taller, Hope" were the first words that she'd uttered in their heartfelt reunion. Hope couldn't help but chuckle at her words.

"After all this time and that's what you noticed about me?" Hope said jokingly. He couldn't help but chuckle.

Lightning let go of her embrace and cheekily knocked her finger on Hope's forehead, just as she did all those centuries ago when they first embraced each other in Palumpolum. Although this time however, she'd be the shorter one compared to Hope, and perhaps the younger one. It seems that Hope was finally back to his 24 year old form, making him older than her, oddly enough. She had only seen this version of him in her visions in Valhalla, but to see him like this, tangibly, right in front of her - she somehow felt drawn to him.

This time, their reunion would no longer be held back by any god or fal'Cie. They no longer had to worry about the world ending, because the world that they had made for themselves after centuries of struggle was theirs. No longer would a fal'Cie curse them to do their bidding for all eternity and no gods to twist their fates. This time, they had each other, and nothing else would ever come between them.